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North Carolina FC

NCFC to Host Carolina Core FC in U.S. Open Cup

April 5, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
North Carolina FC News Release


CHICAGO - North Carolina FC will host MLS Next Pro club Carolina Core FC on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday following the draw.

Carolina Core took down USL League Two side Vermont Green FC, 2-1, on the road in the second round of the competition, while the third round will mark NCFC's introduction to the 2024 edition of the historic cup.

Information regarding tickets will be released soon.

Broadcasts of all matches will continue to be streamed live on usopencup.com, mlssoccer.com, and uslsoccer.com during the Third Round as well as the Rounds of 32 and 16. This unparalleled access to the tournament ensures soccer fans across the country will have access to every action-packed match - including the entrance of USL Championship and Major League Soccer sides - in the nation's oldest and most prestigious soccer competition. Additional broadcast details for the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final will be announced in the near future.

The intrastate Open Cup showdown will be the first official meeting between the two teams, but the pair faced off during the preseason as NCFC claimed a 5-2 victory.

Carolina Core currently sits 13th in the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference standings with two points from three games and a -5 goal differential.

Third Round pairings were created by placing equal numbers of USL Championship sides and Second Round winners into pools based on geography and drawing randomly from those groups. Home teams for each round were determined by random selection among those who applied to host. Clubs whose venue meet minimum tournament standards were given priority.

The remaining eight Div. II USL Championship sides (champions Phoenix Rising FC and the next seven best teams from the 2023 regular-season standings) enter in the Round of 32 (May 7-8) alongside the eight competing Div. I Major League Soccer clubs. The Round of 32 draw is slated to take place on Thursday, April 18.

NCFC and Carolina Core were drawn out of the Atlantic group. Loudoun United FC and the Richmond Kickers were the other two teams in the group and will play each other.

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